


Give Me Your Booty!

by aam5ever



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Captain!Ryan, He was a meanie anyway, I had the need guys, Minor Character Death, Pirates!AU, The strong need
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 15:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3138578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aam5ever/pseuds/aam5ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan decides to go undercover for the sake of scoping out a bit of treasure for him and his crew. On this boat, he meets Gavin, a Brit with small presence but a lot of promise. Yo ho ho, and a pirate's life for who?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give Me Your Booty!

**Author's Note:**

> That title...  
> I've been working on this one-off for a while, so I hope it's as promising as I hoped it would be!

The 1700's was a regal time. Kings and queens were supreme, churches were second to them, and the British were a mile high above other nations. With their pompous hairdos and fine speak, they ruled the trade and mastered in battle. Yet, underneath all of this good, there's always the naughty. 

"Up and at'em!" The tall man called to his crew. Groans of disapproval met him, causing him to frown. "Listen to me, and wake your sissy asses up!"

"Fuck off." A smaller man on his crew, known for his raging temper, mumbled. A chuckle from the captain's second in command with the best handlebar mustache around could be heard. Only two responded quickly. A woman with hair redder than roses known as Lindsay and a man who's beard could be regarded as another person, Jack, were on their feet, ready for action.

Ryan rubbed his temples. "At least I have a little respect left..." He sighed, and then looked around the rest of the cabin. "Pirates take pride in their name, not lay on their lazy butts with it!" 

They were in the belly of their ship, which was in a dock hidden from federal British sight. It was by the shadier part of their area, where pirates sold stolen goods regularly. A perfect place for the infamous Achievement Hunters to dock for the day. If only they'd get up. They had a plan, Goddamnit! You'd think they'd at least follow it. 

Eventually, after threats of being tossed onto an island with one gun and one bullet were thrown about, everyone dragged themselves from their not-so-comfy hammocks. They went to the front of the deck, where their captain began to speak.

"I trust you all to stick with the discussed plan." Ryan's piercing blue eyes proceeded to dart from person to person. They seemed to do all the loyalty-testing for him. "I go onto their ship of goods and check to see if they're good enough to be stolen. If I stay on the ship, that means they are. When they are far enough at sea, you attack. I expect nothing less than a swift takeover."

They nodded. "Of course, sir." One of the shorter men of the crew, Kerry, assured. He was one of the more loyal ones, one of the ones that didn't complain constantly, like-

"So there's no room for error?" Ray's eyebrows furrowed. "Isn't that a bit much to fucking ask for, Ryan?"

The captain sighed very audibly, as he was prone to doing with his crew. "How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me that? 'Sir' and 'Captain' are what I prefer to be called."

"Okay then, SIR." The other troublesome crew member, Michael, used a mocking tone. Under his breath, he whispered, "Prick."

Suddenly, Ryan pulled his thin sword out of its sheath, the sound effect loud enough to make Lindsay cringe. The captain held the sword outward, point just coming to a stop less than a millimeter away from Michael's neck. The younger man turned his head upward and away, but didn't move from his spot. He even rolled his eyes. It was a normal morning activity for the two. 

"Let's not start this so early, Jones." Ryan's voice was steady but intimidating. "I'd rather not get the deck dirty with your blood after Jack and Kerry spent all of yesterday cleaning it up." He knew the threat was empty, but he always needed practice for when he would actually have to say this to someone.

A beat of silence ensued before Michael gave the slightest of nods, trying not to touch the sword's tip with his throat. "Yeah, yeah, just put that fucking thing away, would you?"

Slightly satisfied, the captain completed his crew member's wish. The sword was back in his sheath before anyone could blink. "Back to the pressing matters lads, lady, and gents..." He began to pace in front of them. "As you know, there will be a ship heading to America at sundown. It should have lots of silks and weapons. I suppose they think more luxuries and defenses will aid them." He then smirked. "But you know who it'll aid more?"

"Us!" His men and woman cheered. 

"Will we claim their superfluous goods?"

"Yes!"

"Will the money we get from these goods let us dine like royalty?" 

"YES!"

"Great." He stopped. "We're all on the same page."

Later, the plan was set in motion. Ryan was dressed like a common man, and only carried a small knife in his boot as a weapon. Longish, sandy hair tied back into a ponytail, he could pass wonderfully. His men patted him on the back for his possible sacrifice. That was the thing with sending pirates to do things undercover; you may never see them again.

"I hope to see you soon, captain." Jack said as a fair well. He recieved a lung-collapsing hug that left him doubled over, gasping for air. Ryan gave him an apology, accompanied with a chucklr. He was a weird captain. Many wouldn't treat their men with such equality, or care for them to such an extent.

When he got to Geoff, he folded his arms to show he was being serious. "I hope you can keep my crew out of rough waters for the week or so you're in charge."

"No problem, sir." He told him lazily. "These fuckers will be in top shape when I hand them back to you." The captain grinned at that.

Ray then chose to pipe up in the conversation. "Can I sleep in the captain's quarters?"

"Even Geoff can't sleep in the captain's quarters." Ryan deadpanned. 

With final goodbyes, the captain secretly stuffed his pirate bandana in his other boot. It was black with a large green star on it, just like their flag. He also took the papers he needed to give the men who were taking people aboard the ship, along with extra cotton shirts and trousers in a sack that he carried on his shoulder. Getting off the boat, he sighed and began to move his way through the rundown, slum area they had docked nearby. 

A pouch of currency was tied to his belt, and he noticed that people eyed it as he walked. It wasn't a new thing to him. Ryan usually tried to carry money in case he would get into a situation that required it. Hopefully, the poorer people in this place would have a right mind not to attack him. He was a strong guy, and his appearance was enough to be a shield to unwanted roughhousing.

They weren't a shield to cute little girls, though. "Excuse me, sir..." A girl scurried out in front of him, making him stumble back. She had brown, tangled hair and a dirty face. His exterior softened, eyes turning into a calm sea. "If it isn't-isn't too much to ask, may I have-" She began to cough. You could see it wrack her entire body. "May I have money to buy something to eat?" 

The captain nodded. How could he possibly say no? "Yes, m'lady." She giggled at his playful bow. Removing some coins from his pouch, he tossed them into her waiting hands. "Hopefully, they supply you the freshest bread. What is your name, miss?"

"I'm Barbara." She smiled happily. "Thank you, sir!" She then hurried off to whatever store she was going to buy food from.

As he continued to walk again, he then said, "At least she knew manners, unlike my bastard crew..." under his breath. 

Continuing to walk at the sun rose higher and higher into the sky, bustling men and women started coming out of their homes and beginning their businesses. Royal guards began to roam the streets, eyes scanning the peasants who refused to make eye contact. It took all of Ryan's willpower to not stare directly in the faces of those men. He had a roll to play, though. Inferiority was a main part of it.

A clean dock, surrounded by well off shops and merchants, came into view. The pirate captain had been walking for a long time. It was nearly noon, if not after. The warmth had made him begin to sweat, which was not a good thing to do when you were trying to impress people. However, he would have to overlook his appearance.

He saw who he assumed to be the second in command of the ship in front of the grand boat. Ryan could've basically swooned at the sight. Gold lined certain areas of the ship, and crisp white sails whipped around in the gentle wind. The ship had a grand lion head in front, roaring and painted with extravagant colors. Aboard it, people were unloading cargo. This was what snapped Ryan's attention back to his task.

"Hello, is um... this is where you sign up to work on the boat, yes?" The right amount of timidness, with no skimming over the point. 

The man looked at him, obviously eyeing him up. "I assume you're here for the... adventure..." He spoke like he could be anywhere better at the moment, his white haired wig shining too bright in the sunlight. 

"I'm here to do whatever work you give me, sir." This act was possibly taking a toll on Ryan. He could always just slit this pretentious cur's throat-

"What an eager man you are." The man in front of him spoke his thoughts. "My name's Sir Croft. If you wish to work on this boat, I'll need to see your papers."

With a nod, Ryan gave him the fake papers he had gotten from an inside government man who hated the government as much as he did. Matthew Hullum was a great asset. 

Sir Croft, reading over the information, nodded a few times and read over a few lines before rolling it up once more. "More than sufficient, actually." He returned it to Ryan. "Welcome aboard, James Haywood." He wasn't excited. 

"Thank you, sir." The man shook the second in command's hand. Afterwards, he wiped his hand on his shirt as Ryan climbed aboard the ship. 

Once he was on it, the man dropped his excited facade as he personally scanned the place. Men of all shapes and sizes were around him, yelling and laughing and even arguing occasionally. He felt his personal walls building up, and tried to break them down. He had to be trusted, after all. 

"Oy, you there!" A voice called out to him. "Are you going to stand around over there, or make yourself useful?" 

Ryan, caught off guard, took a few seconds to respond. He took up a box in his strong arms, which was heavy with luxury clothing, and began to carry it to where all the other luxury boxes were. The man that called to him was doing the same. He settled to box down and turned to strike up a conversation.

"I've never seen your face around these parts before..." He had a beard almost as long as Jack's own, if not longer. With friendly eyes but a tough exterior, he seemed like a worthy friend to make on this boat.

Ryan cracked his knuckles as he spoke. "I came from a different area not too long ago. Farther north." He had been sailing the northern seas, after all. "James Haywood." He stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"Adam Ellis." They shook hands, both smiling genuinely. "You can call me by either name."

"Will do." 

As Ryan continued to help unload cargo, starting to put them in one of the lower areas of the ship, he noticed where he'd be sleeping. Hammocks swayed to and fro with each minuscule sway of the large ship. He tried to contain is disappointment, for he shouldn't have expected anything better. He was a common man for now, not a captain. The man was so used to his own quarters, he forgot that crew members slept in groups, with harsh conditions. 

In his defense, even his own crew didn't sleep in the grime that were those worker quarters. Michael would have a fit if they did.

A young lad suddenly caught his attention when they were nearing completion of the task at hand. His eyes were bright and nervous. He was carrying a box that looked two times his weight. You could tell he was struggling by how slow he made progress. The young man suddenly dropped the box, and recieved a slap in the back of the head from another member of the workers.

"Pull your own fuckin' weight, lad!" He yelled at him as he took the box the younger had dropped. Rubbing where he had been hit, the lad sighed and disappeared below the deck.

Ryan felt bad for him. Somehow, he felt that this wasn't the first time he was bullied. 

Once all the work was done, they set sail. Ryan helped pull the sails to their maximum as the wind aided with pushing the boat along the water. The captain of the ship, named Captain William, instructed certain directions for certain people. Sir Croft followed him back to his own quarters afterwards. With the rest of the crew having no immediate work to do, almost everyone found themselves with booze and drunken songs. Ryan, however, was not a drinker. When someone tried to thrust alcohol into his hand, he turned it down. 

"Do you have any milk I could drink?" He really preferred anything over the bitter liquid they offered.

The man laughed in his face. "Milk? What are you, a child?" He was no pleasant fellow. For some reason, he found the notion so funny, he called others over. "Hey, boys! This guy asked me for milk!"

They gaffawed at what they thought was his foolishness. Ryan glared at them, and then snatched the drink the man offered him out of his hand. Downing the wooden cup of its contents, he thrust it back at him. He didn't even wince at the taste, although he wanted to. The laughter ceased.

"No need for the laughter, lads." He smirked. "All you needed to tell me was no." Ryan then got up from his seated position on a barrel and went over to lean against a wall. Next to him was the young lad from earlier, holding onto his booze like it was scarce around here. Honestly, water was more scarce than the intoxicating liquid. He settled himself against the wood with a sigh. Stars glittered in the maroon sky above as the sun was nearly out of view. 

The man next to him shifted away. He seemed uncomfortable, or something of the sort. "The name's James Haywood." Ryan told him. This seemed to make the young lad freeze.

"G-Gavin Free..." What a peculiar name. The British accent was much more prominent in him than many others on the ship. 

"What brings you on the ship, Free?" Idle chat could possibly ease the young man's mind. 

However, it just seemed to make him fidget even more. "Father needed me to faff about here." He admitted bitterly with no problem. Gavin seemed to be holding onto that for a while. 

It was obvious that Gavin was not happy to be here. It was also obvious that he wasn't FIT to be here. With a lanky build and more unsure way of speaking, he couldn't fit in with the boisterous men on the boat. This made him the outlier that they could easily make fun of. "What would you rather be doing right now?" The British man looked over at Ryan, who had asked the question nonchalantly. His eyes searched him, trying to figure out why on Earth this man was bothering to converse with him.

"Why are you speaking to me?" He said, but more to himself.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Gavin shook his head. "It's just... people don't usually talk to me." He took a swig of his liquor, and held it like a champ. Ryan wondered if he had a good tolerance. "Unless they want to make bloody fun of me, of course." He laughed bittersweetly. 

The older man felt that this man reminded him of Kerry when he first came aboard the Achievement Hunters. Before, he was constantly picked on. Now, he's one of the finest, most vocal workers on his ship, which was far away from where he was now. "I'm not here to jest with you." Ryan clarified. "I'm here to figure out what you'd rather be doing."

Gavin nodded at that with a small smile before answering. "Science." He informed him. "Figuring out cures and how far the Earth is from the moon." He looked over at Ryan, who was smiling. Not at him, but up at the stars. 

"Interesting..." He genuinely said. 

Far away from them, someone was pointing at them. "Aye, lass. Get over here!" He called to them. Gavin noticeably tried to not pay attention. Ryan frowned, looking back at the drunk workers.

Another man played along with the joke. "I thought it was bad luck to have ladies on a voyage!" This caused an eruption of laughter from the troublemakers. Gavin only continued to look away, sipping at his bitter drink. 

"Hey! Don't you here us?" The first one's voice was more aggressive. "Get your ass over here!"

"C'mon, Richard," A different man began to speak to the rowdy men next to him. "lay off the lad, would you?"

"Joel's right." Adam supported him. 

The man named Richard stood, throwing his drink and not caring where it landed. "Oh, shut up, you two." He stalked over to where Ryan and Gavin were, hands suddenly bunching up the smaller man's already stretched out shirt. "Listen to your elders, lass!" He yelled at in his face as he lifted him off the ground. Gavin struggled in the grip, trying to free himself. 

"Hey!" Ryan pushed the offending man away. Gavin dropped, grabbing the wall next to him. He gasped at the shock of being released. The pirate captain stood in front of him in defense. "Leave him alone, you bastard."

Richard stood straight again, and Gavin got out of the way when he shoved Ryan against the wooden wall. He hit it with a hollow thunk, and began pushing against the other burly man's force. They gritted teeth, glaring at each other and growling. The door to the captain's quarters opened abruptly just then, and Sir Croft came out to inspect the crew. He saw the two men, and immediately pulled them off of each other.

"Do you have any idea what fools you look like?" He reprimanded them. "We give you men liquor and time, you give us nonsense and roughhousing!" His words were barked at them. Ryan could feel Richard's glare trying to bore into him as his attention was guided toward Sir Croft. "You're both lucky I won't throw you overboard myself." After a few more useless threats, he disappeared back into the captain's cabin. 

Richard spat at the man's feet. "Scum." He walked back to the group of men he was just with, who were oddly silent. Gavin stared at the group, and then at the man who had just gotten an earful from Croft.

"I- I'm sorry..." He apologized. 

"You did nothing." Ryan assured him. "It was he who was the problem." He stretched out his back, which still ached from being pushed into that solid surface. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" He simply responded in disbelief. "Are you?" 

"Yeah..." He cracked a small smile, as if to assure him. "It takes a lot more to break me, lad." He thinks back to all the times he's been captured and... put in soul-breaking circumstances. "It really does..."

The next morning was the first full day for the crew. Ryan had already had a sleepless night. People snored and groaned in their sleep around him. The hammock swayed him to a fro, but worse than a mother would rock her child. He felt as if he could fall out any second, as many of the men around him did from time to time. 

Still, most people managed to get sleep. This let them be hearty and happy once they woke up. As their former own little worlds got smaller and smaller in the distance, people began to speak excitedly about how America was going to be.

"I've heard they had savage beasts and cannibals." A man named Jeremy said to his dearest friend on the boat, Matt.

Matt, the taller of the two, shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that couldn't damn be anywhere farther from the truth." He rewound a rope that was getting too loose. If it had loosened, the sails would've went slack. "Sure, they have cannibals. But they have gold as well!"

"Gold?" Joel heard for what must've been feet away. He walked over, arms folded. His hair blew in the salty breeze, making it even wilder than before. "Where?"

"The newer lands." Matt explained to him as well. "It's supposed to be filled with it!" 

"Back to work!" Captain William shouted to them as he made his way to the ship's wheel. The three men went back to their former activities of which they had gravitated away from earlier.

Gavin watched this all from a distance, and got on his knees once more. Dipping the cleaning brush into the dirty soapy water, he got to work. His arms moved back and forth, back and forth mesmerizingly. He compared it to how he cleaned his own house, back in the motherland. The promise of sweets afterwards just wasn't here, though. That made him slightly more bitter as he went on with his work. Curse this ship, curse this captain, curse his father-

"You need help, Free?" The man from yesterday looked down at him. Gavin met Ryan's eyes, but then continued with his work.

A shake of the head confirmed his answer. "You, my good man, should really be doing your own bloody job, you know."

"My job is to clean with you for today." He admitted. A smug smirk appeared on his face as Gavin came to a stop and began to stand up. "Surprised?"

"To say the least." The Brit couldn't help his own goofy grin. "Well, get busy then!" He decided to test his limits and toss the man his own wooden scrubbing brush. 

Ryan caught it. "Indeed." He then pointed to the mop that leaned against one of the walls nearest to him. "Don't forget your own damn duties." He chuckled before beginning the manual labor.

The sun was high in the sky, so he should've been feeling hotter than he was. Yet, the clouds that sheilded them all from the rays of light made a big difference. Work went by smoothly. He wiped the deck clean with Gavin with an hour to spare. They pretended to still be busy, but were instead talking about their lives. Gavin explained how he was trying to find work in the science field when his father found out. 

"He told me nobody would want to marry a man of such frivolous occupations." Gavin said that with a sigh in his voice. "I never told him that I never wanted to marry. He would've probably thrown me out of his home right then and there." He wiped his forehead with his forearm. "He forced me to be here. My father thought that sending me to America would make me change my mind."

Ryan nodded. He understood what he meant. "I was an orphan." He explained. "My parents weren't around, and I was on the streets from the ages of nine to twelve. I found places to stay, but I couldn't stay long." He stretched a bit. "It's wasn't a lovely life, but then I was taken in by... decent people, with a not-so-decent income." He was raised by thieves. Thieves who stole from the rich and loved him dearly. "Given a better name than James. Ryan Haywood, actually." He looked over at Gavin. "Call me Ryan."

The smaller man looked at him with a weird new respect. At first he expected to hear a common tale. Someone that was in a fair environment. He wasn't what he expected at all. "Ryan Haywood..." He smirked. "What a peculiar name." He then settled on a question. "So why are you here, Ryan Haywood? And what would you rather be doing right now?"

That took the older man by surprise. He bit his lip before answering. "Both will be revealed in the future." Was all he could say. Sweat started to form on his own brow as sundown began, so Ryan removed his bandana from his boot. He wiped at the sweat, and then went to put the cloth back before Gavin looked over at it curiously.

"What's that?" 

"A simple trinket a found in a shop local to me." Ryan wanted to avoid telling the young lad of his occupation. It possibly wouldn't bode well with him. At least, as far as the pirate knew.

Day two and day three were relatively the same. Activities consisted of cleaning at first. Ryan was instructed to reorganize some misplaced boxes on day three, having him leave Gavin alone on the deck as he went below to storage. He felt bad, thinking that the young man was too timid to try and talk to anyone else on the ship.

He was met with a pleasant surprise when he returned a bit more than half an hour later. Adam and Joel aided him with mopping up messes, along with engaging in simple banter that made all of them laugh. Gavin's eyes sparkled as he did so. For once, Ryan realized how much warmer he got since he met him. It must've not been hard for the Brit to find a silver lining in any storm. 

Speaking of storm...

It was a hot day four out in the open ocean. With no land for miles, men were less excited and more focused. It was like they were determined to see shores again. Deep waters underneath them with nowhere to go but down, it was understandable that people began to feel frightened. The sun wasn't helping, either. It made them easily overworked and tired. They blamed it for their troubles and slacked off in a few areas. Even a few petty arguments broke out, and died off as quickly as they started. If they were going to be more weeks out at sea, the fights might escalate. 

"It's hotter than mama's cooking out here!" Adam complained. He was under the deck, pouring himself a small cup of liquor for 'hydration'. Downing it and placing it back on the box nearest to him, he looked over at Gavin. "You don't seem to be bothered by it."

"I get bothered by cold more." He poured himself some as well and took a swig. "It makes me all... gammy."

"Gammy? What does gammy mean?"

"Troubled." Was the younger's explanation. "It's my own word." He shrugged. "I'm prone to making those."

Gavin was expecting to be called unusual at the very least. Adam, however, didn't even think of doing that. "Joel tends to do that from time to time. He says things even stranger than you do."

This couldn't help but make him grin warmly. "Let's go back to the upper deck."

Ryan had started lowering the sails when they came back up. Once he finished, he was feeling overheated in his shirt. He didn't notice Adam and Gavin approaching as he stripped off his dark brown cotton shirt. With it bundled up in his hands, he heard a low whistle from Adam.

"Lord in Heaven..." He said underneath his breath.

Ryan's brow furrowed. "What?" He raised one. What, did they think him too muscular? If that was the reason for the reaction, it was less than a problem-

"Christ alive, have you been in a bloody war?" Gavin's voice seemed less than joking. It was totally reasonable why. 

The man has a wicked collection of scars on his body. Slashes from swords, bruises from beatings, and... was that a shark bite? Whatever it was, it was Goddamn interesting. There was a gigantic diagonal scar with multiple dark undertones that went from his shoulderblade to his lower back. A few miscellaneous cuts were present on his back as well. His front had a small gash underneath his ribs, and a even more miscellaneous scrapes. He was a fucking battleground. 

Ryan looked down, and then realized why their mouths were agape. "Oh, no of course not." He laughed innocently. "I've just had a history of... unfortunate affairs." Battles upon battles at sea and on land left some permanent memories...

"A sea of them, I realize!" Gavin continued to be fascinated in the marks. "Where did you get that large gash on your back?"

"I'm afraid story time's over, men." Matt had come over to tell them. "Look." He pointed at the horizon. A storm, brewing and morphing, approached ever closer. The clouds hung low and dangerously, promising rough sailing and tough times. Ryan slowly put his shirt back on, heat not bothering him anymore. 

"All hands on deck!" The boat's captain shouted. "I want this ship to survive this storm!" He stomped over to the navigators, instructing them where and how to turn the boat. Gavin aided Matt and Jeremy in lowering more sails, so the wind didn't whip them around too much. Ryan got below deck with Adam to spread the news of the upcoming storm. Cannons were locked into place, the storage was being kept under watch, and all other men rushed up to the surface of the ship.

First came the drizzle. The floor started to become slick, which was going to be a possible problem. Men secured things that could fall off the boat. Then came the downpour. Ryan turned and saw Gavin's sandy hair matted to his face as he helped try to tie down the sails for minimal confrontations with the wind. One sail, still untied, caught a large gust of wind. The boat tilted to the left as it turned involuntarily. It knocked Adam and Joel right on their asses, and Ryan held onto one of the ropes for stability.

For a brief moment, it was as bright as midday. People shouted, startled. When the split second ceased, they realized what had happened. 

Eventually, came the chaos. 

Lightening had hit the boat's crow's nest, the lookout tower that was in the middle of the ship. It caught fire, and the person up top was either dead or unheard over the multiple people screaming multiple orders at each other. The captain remained with the navigator, barking order at him. The boat rocked to and fro, with people sliding this way and that. 

Adam turned his head and saw someone scrambling for something to hold onto as he was going over the side. He sprinted, almost losing his footing, to the crew member. The man, who he now recognized as Richard, grabbed onto the boat's wooden side. His entire body dangled over the ocean.

"Hold on!" He shouted. He saw Joel coming to help him. Together, they pulled Richard back onto the unstable boat. 

"Phew, close call." Joel managed to make light of the situation. "Stop slacking off, Richard. We need more hands on deck."

"Fuckin' great." The grumpy, almost dead man grumbled as he trotted over to where they were tying down the sails. Joel and Adam couldn't help but look at each other and smirk.

Gavin looked up at the flaming crow's nest. The fire wasn't going out, and he saw someone up there. They were screaming, and couldn't get down. The ladder had broke near the top of it. Suddenly, he saw Ryan next to him beginning to climb the bottom half of the ladder.

"Wait, what in the hell are you doing?" He caught Ryan's attention. The wind howled angrily, and the boat creaked underneath their feet. 

The man looked back. "Someone has to get him!" Was his explanation before going up more. As he got higher, the boat rocked more and more. He began to feel slightly sick, vision going a bit blurry with the motions and the sounds and the adrenaline. Ryan shut them tight and opened them once more to hopefully have them back to normal. His hand slipped once on the ladder, causing him to have a sudden weight placed on his other. Gritting his teeth, he pressed onward, urgent to get to the man in trouble. 

A very abrupt wave splashed high enough to envelop the entire boat in water before it died down. Gavin sputtered, shaking his head to get any excess salty water out, and eyes immediately went upward to see if Ryan was still on the ladder...

...which he wasnt. 

Panicked, the Brit looked for him. He saw his body, limp and sliding towards the edge. Another tip of the boat would send the unconsious pirate overboard. Gavin never ran as fast as he did just then, skidding and putting his arm out just in case he fell. Men stumbled backwards as he pushed past, rain pelting his back like stones. The clouds roared with thunder, and lightening stuck far away, still illuminating the area for the slightest of moments. Ryan's body remained unnoticed by the scared, busy men. Gavin dived for him, just before the boat tilted significantly to the left. He would've been swimming with the fishes if it wasn't for the scrawny Brit. 

"James? James!" He shouted at the pale face. "Ryan, for Christ's sake!" Gavin shook him roughly. He knew the man was alive, since he felt the steady movement of his breathing in his chest. More thunder demanded to be heard above, causing the lad to cringe. Jeremy saw the man huddled in the corner with Ryan, and handed his duty of keeping the ropes in place to Matt. 

He ran over to inspect the problem. "What happened?" He hurriedly asked.

"The bloke tried to save the man in the crow's nest!" The younger exclaimed. "The wave knocked him down, and now he almost met the damn Kraken in the sea!" 

Jeremy nodded, getting what he meant, but not all of the explanations. "We have to get him below deck." He got up and put one of Ryan's arms over his shoulder. Gavin took the other, and they made their way to the belly of the ship.

It was early morning when the storm's terror finally ended. They lost a few men to the deep, but we're otherwise in better condition than expected. The crow's nest was charred, bits of it still falling from above. Captain William ordered for it to be fixed, and that took up most of the morning to do so.

Ryan awoke around this time. It was like he was reanimated, eyes popping open and intake of breath sharp. He immediately began to cough afterwards, not even noticing Gavin and Joel in front of him. He was in his hammock, and the swaying wasn't making him feel any better.

"God damn!" Joel yelped in surprise. He and Gavin had been quietly speaking. People around them were snoring loudly, so his sudden shout didn't disturb to many. He was just startled at Ryan's sudden sound.

Gavin, instead, beamed. "You're okay..." He confirmed. The man in the hammock sat up, still coughing up a lung.

After another moment of hacking up what sounded like his voice box, Ryan settled down and looked over at them. He was still groggy, fair memories of climbing up a ladder bubbling up to the surface of his mind. "What... happened?" His voice was small and sounding like a frog's. His back cracked as he stretched, along with his neck. He had been out for a while, and a wave of pain jolted him. Ryan moaned involuntarily. His entire back and head ached, like he had fallen off a building or something.

Gavin decided to explain. "When you went to get the man from the crow's nest, a bloody wave knocked you down. Knocked your senses out too." He chuckled a little before continuing. "I had to save your arse from going overboard. A man like you isn't fit for braving those seas." It was more than strange to hear that coming from the scrawny noodle that the Brit was, but Ryan couldn't help but smirk. This guy had more personality than he imagined.

"I could brave the seas conscious, lad." He told him. "And I have." It was a huge part of his life, actually. The part he didn't tell him just yet. "Nonetheless, thanks for saving my behind." He was about to stand up, but his head protested.

Joel saw the pain in his expression. "You should rest for now. Nothing worth getting up for around here, anyways." He tilted his head upwards, to where he could hear men shouting at each other for both banter and argument's sake. "They're fixing the damn nest, with the wood we were supposed to use once we got to land." At that, he shook his head. The storm was going to take a toll on their wood supply.

"Is the-"

"The man from the nest's okay." Interrupted Joel. He knew exactly what Ryan was going to ask. "C'mon, Gav. Let's leave him to rest. We need a nap too, from all that shit."

"Yeah, alright." Gavin leaned over and patted Ryan on the shoulder. "See you in good time, Haywood."

"And you too, Free." He grinned before laying back down in his ever-rocking hammock. 

After sleeping through all of day five, night came around. Ryan was up and feeling better. He helped count the cargo boxes a bit after nightfall, and then decided to enjoy the stars. Few men were on the deck at this time. The navigator kept the course of the ship steady while the man who regulated the boat's sails had fallen asleep standing up against the pole of the sail. Sir Croft was just disappearing below deck, and two other restless men had been whispering personal fears to each other. 

The wind blew his hair back and forwards and back again. Ryan undid his hair from the small, tight ponytail it was in. He went to the side of the boat and rested his strong forearms on the railing. Folding his hands, he leaned forward and sighed. Blue eyes met the blue waters beneath. He peered into it, seeing the nearly full moon's reflection. Tiny waves overlapped into each other, each sending a ripple to distort the mostly accurate picture of the moon above. 

He tilted his eyes upwards, and saw what the waters couldn't reflect. Empty space, pitch black and intimidating, was spread out above him. Ryan's pupils darted from star to star, making out constellations that didn't even have names yet. The sky twinkled beautifully for him. He grinned, comparing the shine of one star to another. At one point, he swore he could see another moon, or planet, above. 

Sounds of whispers wafted to the pirate captain's ears. They were carried by the cool wind, the same that was whipping his hair against his own face. He couldn't care less. Soft sways of the boat put Ryan's mind at ease. He closed his eyes, letting other senses take over. Salty water met his nose as the lapping waves and creaking wood did his ears.

It's wasn't the first time Ryan let himself get taken away by his surroundings. He frequently found solice in taking in the nature around him, especially at night. One of crew joined him at times, if they were awake. They never really jested with him about it. Everyone needed calming time at some point.

It was in this quiet time that Ryan realized what he couldn't do. He couldn't kill the people on this boat.

Frequently, men on ships they stole treasures from were unpleasant. They were worse than Richard behaved. This was why they would sometimes be executed, or left to sink. Ryan didn't think he could bring himself to do that to these people. Over the past few days, he made bonds that even he, a pretty ruthless man when messed with, couldn't sever easily. Maybe not even at all.

It was also in this time that Ryan spotted something in the distance. An approaching ship, mere hours away if they kept that snail-like pace. Less if they didn't. The man knew he was going to have to reveal who he was to the men, and rob them quick of their goods. They were unneeded goods, Ryan never forgot to include. People didn't need them to survive. They had more than enough. 

But what about the friends he made here?

It was sunrise when he knew he was out of time. Captain William had announced an approaching ship, and everyone was clueless as to how they came. Ryan knew they came hostile.

"Retrieve swords for all of the men." He witnessed the captain whisper to a passing man. It was Adam, who nodded and went below deck. 

Gavin then approached him. He had slight fear in his eyes as he spoke. "Did you see the approaching ship?" He spoke excitedly. "They have weird sails. Black, with a green... star..." He seemed to slowly begin to piece things together. "Like your bandana." He took a slight step back. "Ryan...?"

It was too late to tell him not to worry. He was doing it before his very eyes. "Gavin, I'm not going to lie to you." He slowly removed the bandana from his boot. "So believe me when I say they're not going to hurt you." He put the bandana in his hands. "Just... trust me." He then left and went be low deck to collect his thoughts. Gavin looked down at the cloth in his hands, and swallowed to rid himself of the lump in his throat. What was going on?

It was when the sun was high in the sky did the captain of the ship furrow his brow at the approaching one. They haven't attacked yet. They could still be a cargo ship, or maybe a ship that has people that want to settle in America. Captain William bit his lip in deep thought, contemplating their next move. 

Ryan was given a sword below deck, by Adam. He took it, one of his eyebrows shooting up in question.

The burly man only shrugged. "To be safe." He then turned and went to distribute more.

"Of course..." Ryan said to no one. He turned it over once, looking at the gleaming metal, before setting it on the nearest surface and going back above deck. The ship was in firing range, if they chose to fire. Ryan prayed they didn't fire. He saw the captain coming his way.

"Damn boat..." He said to himself before speaking to Ryan. "We remain defensive. Haywood, get your sword, and-"

"They're coming over!" One of the lads shouted. This was the pirate's signal to slip into the waiting crowd.

"What?" The captain snapped his head to the side of the ship, where he saw them throw hooks with rope at the poles of their ship. Some fell short, latching onto the railing, but that didn't stop them from climbing up the entire side of the boat. They got to the federal ship relatively quickly, and their own captain stared at them.

The Achievement Hunters have arrived.

"Men, get your weapons! What in the hell do you think you all are-"

Ray, who was a fast one, had his knife to the captain's throat in seconds. "Better keep that mouth shut for a while, SIR." He overexaggerated the last word. Ryan groaned. "We don't want any blood on this pretty floor of yours."

"Or maybe we do!" Michael swung his sword like a fan in one hand, just for show. "Depends on how fast you all are with giving us the goods." The people on board were mostly inexperienced men. They were unsure of whether to attack or not.

Lindsay then hopped on board, which caused people to gasp. They were more shocked by her presence than anyone else's. "A woman!" Someone whispered from the few men on deck. "From a ship?"

She frowned at the offending man. "What, you act like you've never seen a woman on two feet before!" She snapped before her smirk returned. "Now, where is he..."

"Cap'n, we're looking for you!" Jack's voice boomed out. His eyes scanned everyone, and he managed not to see his leader amongst the common men. 

Gavin glanced over at Ryan, who was staring at the crew intently. He suddenly realized who they were looking for. Just when he was about to speak up, the man did it for him. "You'd think a captain's own crew would recognize him." He cockily stepped out from behind a few of the crowd's people. 

"Yeah, yeah..." Kerry smirked. 

"As you can see, we're going to steal from this here boat." Geoff spoke. "Resist, and we kill your captain and navigator." Jack had his sword to the navigator's chest. "Don't do it, and we'll leave... mostly quietly." He shifted from foot to foot, restless as usual.

Ryan took the sword that Kerry had tossed him. It was his own sword, complete the dark jewel at the hilt. "You've all been a fine crew..." His eyes scanned every silent member of the boat. He caught Adam's glare, and quickly shifted his eyes away. "And you all still can be." He saw Richard reposition the sword in his hand, knuckles white from gripping it so tightly. "I'm giving you all the oppurtunity to join us."

"Go to Hell!" Richard shouted before beginning to run at him. His boots creaking the wood underneath his feet was the only noise besides the swaying of the sails and lapping of the water. He didn't even get close enough to even touch him before Lindsay's sword was buried in his chest. She pulled it out, causing him to stumble forward, and then backwards, falling to his back on the deck. Her nose twitched at the blood on her weapon, but she couldn't do anything about it. 

Ryan knew the action would scare others back into any submission they had questioned surpassing. "Does anyone still care to be a part of my crew?" His blue eyes flicked over to Gavin, who was still clutching the bandana and staring. He seemed to be having slight inner conflict, eyebrows a bit knit, mouth screwed up a little. He finally seemed to make a move.

"Okay." His voice cracked a little. Everyone else's heads turned to his voice. "Bloody Hell, why not." He took a few steps forward as he spoke clearer. Ryan heard him mutter, "S'not like I'll be anything anyway..." which managed to hit a soft spot in the pirate captain's heart. Nobody else moved from their spot while the British lad walked towards them all.

Ryan's crew looked at Gavin, and then their captain, skeptically. Who was this man, and why was he so welcoming to join? They must've been connected somehow, because he managed to make Ryan smile and pat him on the back. Michael spotted the bandana's symbol in his hands, and his eyes widened slightly. Damn, the lad must've really been on Ryan's good side.

Nobody else moved.

Geoff decided to take authority much more, before Ryan could even speak. "I believe we'll be getting our booty, then."

Ray and Jack continued to hold the navigator and captain in place while others went to retrieve, and forced crew members to retrieve, the goods from below deck. Michael was about to tell Adam and Joel to get to work when Ryan interjected.

"They don't need to do anything." He informed the younger man. Michael looked over, and then shrugged and walked away from them. Gavin stood next to Ryan awkwardly, both bewildered and scared about the entire situation. It was still beyond him why he decided to join a pirate crew, and so surreal.

From feet away, Adam continued to glare at Ryan. He felt betrayed, of course. It did catch him off guard when he wasn't put to work with unloading the cargo, though. 

Finally, the captain spoke up. "I hope there's no bad blood between us." He spoke to Adam as nicely as he could. Ryan really liked him for a friend. He never would've betrayed him if he didn't have to, and would actually have him on his ship if he joined. Adam didn't, however, so he couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't one to force people to work for him. 

"The blood isn't bad, but it certainly ain't lovely, Haywood." He answered back. 

Ryan nodded, understanding. "That's all I desire to know." He managed a small smirk.

Even Adam couldn't help but return the expression. 

Once all of the goods were thuroughly stolen with little to no trouble (one or two men got a bit fighty and had to do a bit of the flighty... right off the boat), Ryan turned to the men on the ship. "Thank you, gentlemen, for your cooperation." He then glanced down at Richard's body. "Well, most of you." He chuckle was borderline sinister, making Gavin's heart beat against his chest rapidly. Was this the right choice? "You may now return to the motherland and go tell your families of your encounter with the infamous Achievement Hunters!" He then began to laugh with the other people of his crew, and they made a swift getaway.

They didn't even have to fire a cannonball as they left.

While the rest of his crew went to put the new cargo under their deck, Ryan saw Gavin approaching him, looking as timid as they did when they first met. He didn't really expect anything less. "I'm sorry for decieving you, Free." He spoke without looking at the lad. The fresh breeze of the coming day blew both of their hair around, and warm sunlight made the atmosphere peaceful.

"Well, I guess you couldn't just start up a conversation with 'I'm a pirate', now could you?" Gavin answered back before turning a unique shade of red and widening his eyes. He had briefly forgotten Ryan's rank. "Sorry for... speaking out of turn, s-sir..." He said it as if he was apologizing to his father.

Ryan sighed, a playful grin on his face. "Gavin, just call me Ryan." He saw more comfort in his features when he told them that. 

"How come we can't fuckin' do that!?" He heard a familiar voice butt in. Jack just coming up from unloading a few boxes, chuckled at Geoff's question. Gavin visibly cringed at the curse being said to the captain.

Ryan rolled his eyes, turning to face the mustached crew member. "You know why you can't do that. Don't you have work to do?" 

"No, and Ray slept in your bed." He pointed his thumb behind him.

Ray was suddenly besides Geoff, head popping out over his shoulder before he moved to next to him. "Indeed, I did!" He leaned his elbow against the older man's shoulder. "Best fucking slumber I've ever had."

Ryan rubbed his eyes, slightly annoyed. "God, I want to throw you both overboard."

Gavin had a feeling that the pirate life wasn't as bad as he originally thought it would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: aam5ever


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